Brush for cleaning glass-making pots



v C. M. BROWN. BRUSH FOR CLEANING GLASS MAKING POTS.

Y APPLICATION FILED IAN. H, 1917. RENEWED MAR. 18,1920. 1 349,262 a t d Aug- 10, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1- I INVENTOR.

C. M. BROWN.

BRUSH FOR CLA.NI|NG GLASS MAKING POTS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. U, I91]. RENEWED MAR. 18,1920. 1,349,262, Patented Aug. 10, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESS \NVENTOH.

ATTORNIYS,

UNITED STATES PATENT oFF cE.

PLATE GLASS COMPANY, A. CORPORATION 03? PENNSYLVANIA.

BRUSH FOR CLEANING GLASS-MAKING POTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 10, 1920.

Application filed January 11, 1917, Serial No. 141,742. Renewed March 18, 1920. Serial No. 366,965.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE M. BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brushes for Cleaning Glass-Making Pots, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cleaning brushes and more particularly to that class of brushes used in cleaning cinders and other foreign particles from the exterior of clay pots used in the manufacture of plate glass.

In the manufacture of plate glass, clay.

pots are filled with glass batch and then placed in a melting furnace until the batch in the pots has become properly melted and refined, after which preparation the pot is removed and carried by a crane to the casting tables. It is the purpose of this inven tion to provide a portable cleaning brush similar to that described in copending patent application, Serial No. 141,743, filed January 11, 1917, whereby the brush may be moved to various points in the factory for the purpose of cleaning the pots carried to the various casting tables, thereby saving considerable travel of the teeming crane. In the application above referred to the brushing apparatus is stationary and the pots must be carried by the teeming crane to a point directly over the brush, thus consuming considerable time in the increased travel of the crane and the positioning of the heavy pot drectly over the brush mechanism. By placing the brush and driving mechanism upon a portable carriage and mounting the brush apparatus so that it has universal movement with respect thereto much time is saved in the operation because the brush may be adjusted to the pot much more readily than can the heavy unwieldy pot be adjusted to the position of the brush. Other objects of the invention are the provision of a cleaning brush that is serviceable and simple to manufacture and keep in repair, and such other objects as may hereinafter appear. One embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of the complete brush apparatus and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus. I

Referring to the drawings, 1 is a truck upon. which is mounted a pedestal 2 adapted to receive a pivot shaft 3 projecting clownwardly from a swinging arm 4. The swinglng arm is provided at its free end with a socket adapted to receive a pivot shaft 5 which is integral with a yoke 6.

A rocking beam 7 which may be of any suitable construction, is pivotally secured to the yoke 6 by-means of the pivot pin 8 which extends through the upper end of the yoke and through a block 9 carried by the beam 7. The beam 7 is built up in the form of a truss and comprises four angle irons spaced apart at their center and converging toward their ends where they are secured at one end to a bearing block 10 and at the other end to a motor support 11. The whole beam is adapted to oscillate vertically about the pivot shaft 8 and may be moved laterally in any direction by moving the swinging arm 4 to any desired position.

The bearingblock 10 is provided with a vertical hole through which a stub shaft 12 projects downwardly. The stub shaft 12 carries at its upper end a bearing head 13 which is provided with a spherical surface 14. A brush support 15 provided with a spherical socket 16 upon its under face is adapted to rest upon the spherical surface 14 of the head 13 so that it may have universal movement with respect to the head. The brush support is held against separation from the head by means of a bolt 17, which extends through the head and through the vertical slot 14 in the socket walls of the brush support. The bolt 17 prevents relative rotary movement of the two parts.

Upon the ends of the brush support 15 is mounted a pair of rotary brushes 18 and 19, which are of a construction similar to that shown in co-pending patent application Serial No. 141,743 filed January 11, 1917. These brushes are mounted for universal movement upon pins 20 secured to the brush support. The brushes consist of annular wooden bases 21 into which is secured a plurality of metal wires. The annular bases are secured to metallic plates 22.

A portion of the shaft 12 extends through the bearing block 10 and a bevel gear 23 is keyed to the projecting end of the shaft in such manner that when the bevel gear 23 is rotated it will cause the rotation of the head 18 and the brush support 15. The brushes are free to rotate in either direction and are adapted to be rotated by the frictional cona small bevel gear 25 which is keyed to a 7 24: indicated in dottedlines.

The bevel gear 23 is rotated by means of rotary shaft 26 extending from one end of the beam 7 to the other. The end of the shaft adjacent the bevel gear 25 is supported in a bearing provided in the bearlng r the truck.

block 10 while the other end of the shaft is supported in a socket provided in the motor support 11 and carries a spur gear 27 which is adapted to mesh witha pinion 28 carried on the shaft of the motor 29. lVhen electric current is supplied to the motor 29 thepinion 28 will be rotated which will cause'rotation of the spur gear 27, the shaft 26 and the bevel gear 25 thereby causing the brush support 15 to be rotated. Rotation of the brush supports imparts a revolving motion to the brushes which is very effective in cleaning foreign particles from the bottom of the pot.

A portion of the motor support 11 is extended rearward and carries a handle 30 whereby the position of the brushes may be controlled, and the motor is located so that its weight practically balances the weight of the brush, thereby making the whole apparatus easy to manipulate. V

The operation of the apparatus is as follows. When a pot has been removed from the melting furnace it is picked up by the crane which is provided to carry the pot to the casting table The furnaces are constructed so that a large number of pots may be accommodated at one time and these pots are removed from the furnace at various places. The truck is therefore moved to a position adjacent the place from which the pot is-to be removed. After the crane has picked up the pot, the operator immediately adjusts the brushing mechanism so that the brushes are beneath it and so that the brushes come in contact with the bottom of the pot. This movement of the brushes is readily accomplished because of the mounting for universal movement of the beam 7.

It Will be seen that the brushes may be made to cover a considerable field without moving It is obvious that many changes may be made in the details of the construction without departing from the spirit of the invention, and the invention is, therefore, not lim ited to the specific structure herein illustrated and described.

What I claim is:

1. A brush for cleaningglass making pots comprising in combination, a portable truck, a carrier'pivoted to the truck adapted to swing in a horizontal plane, a beam pivoted to the free end of the carrier adapted to oscillate in a vertical plane, a'rotary brush mounted for universal movement upon the beam and means for rotating the brush.

'2. A brush for cleaning glass making pots comprising in combination, a swinging carrier, a beam pivoted to the carrier, a rotary upwardly directed brush having a substantially horizontal brushing surface adapted to engage the bottom of a pot supported upon the beam and means for rotating the brush. I

3. A' brush for cleaning glass making pots, comprising in comblnation, a beam mounted for. universal movement, an upwardly directed brush mounted pivotally upon the beam and adapted to be moved into contact with the bottom of a pot, and means carried by the beam for operating the brush.

CLARENCE ,M; BROWN. 

